John Duffy: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: ElginWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Elgin Community CollegeAge: 76Family: Wife: Anne, retired librarian, Abbott Middle School. Anne also taught at Parkwood Elem., Central Elem., and Heritage Elem. Children: Jane Jorgensen(Russ) Paul Duffy(Jane) Sarah Sophie Steven Duffy(Hope) We have eight grandchildrenOccupation: Retired Latin teacher and administrator, Larkin High School, 1962 to 1996.Education: B.A., Loras College, Dubuque, IA, 1956M.S.Ed., Creighton University, Omaha, NE, 1961Teaching Assistant, The University of Iowa, 1961-62NDEA Fellowship in the Humanities, U.of MN, Summer, 1967Civic involvement: 1986-1988, President, Elgin Area Catholic Social Services1982-1990, Board of Directors, Elgin Area Catholic Social Services1974-1979, St. Laurence Parish Board1972-1979, Saint Laurence Parish Education Commission1974-1977, Chairman, Saint Laurence Parish Education Commission1972-1973, Chairman, Illinois Education Association Committee on Teacher Tenure 1972-1973, Illinois Education Association State Legislative Chairman1968-1971, Illinois Education Association Northeastern Division Legislative Chairman 1966-1967, Presidenet, Elgin Teacher's Association1963-1965, Elgin Teacher's Association Welfare Chairman and Chief Negotiator1962-1963, Member, Elgin Teacher's Ass'n Welfare CommitteeElected offices held: Elgin Community College Board of Trustee, 1975 to present TRUSTEE ACTIVITIESAMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES* 1990-1993, Member, AACC Board of Directors* 1990-1993, Member, AACT/AACC Joint Commission on Federal RelationsASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRUSTEES* 2007-2009, ACCT Membership and Communications Committee, Associate Member* 2005-2007, ACCT Public Policy Committee, Associate Member* 2002, ACCT Central Region(13 states) Trustee of the Year award (Only trustee in the nation to receive the regional award twice--also won this award in 1991)* 2001 Select Committee appointee* 1992-1993, Chairman, Central Region Nominating Committee* 1991, Winner, Central Region Trustee of the Year Award* 1983-1989, Member, ACCT, Board of Directors* 1984-1989, Member, ACCT/AACJC Federal Relations Commission* 1988-1989, Chairman, AACT/AACJC Federal Relations Commission* 1987-1988, Vice Chairman, AACT/AACJC Federal Relations Commission* 1984-1986, Chairman, ACCT Future Directions Committee* 1983-1984, Member, ACCT Committee on International Relations* 1981-1982, Chairman, ACCT Central Region Nominating CommitteeILLINOIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRUSTEES ASSOCIATION* 2008-present, ICCTA Diversity Commitee Member* 2002, ICCTA Trustee of the Year Award (38 community colleges in Illinois, each with seven elected trustees)* 2001-present, ICCTA Government Relations Committee* 1998-1999, Chairman, West Suburban Region, ICCTA* 1998-1999, ICCTA Executive Committee* 1986-present, ECC Representative or Alternate to ICCTA Board of Representatives* 1982-1987, Chairman, ICCTA Federal Relations Committee * 1983-1984, ICCTA Committee on Exelllence in Education* 1981-1984, ICCTA Executive Committee* 1981-1982, By-Laws Revision Committee* 1980-1981, Policies for the 80's Committee* 1977-1980, Trustee Education Committee* 1979-1980, Chairman, Trustee Education Committee* 1976-1980, ICCTA Board Representative or AlternateELGIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE* 1975-present, Board Member (re-elected in 1978. 1981, 1987, 1993, 1999, and 2005)* 2006, Chairman, Presidential Search Committee* 1997-1999, Board Chairman* 1998, Chairman, Presidential Search Committee* 1985-1987, Board Chairman* 1981, Chairman, Presidentiao Search Committee* 1980-1981, Board Chairman Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NOCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Fiscal Responsibility: Throughout my tenure as a trustee ECC has always maintained a balanced budget. Continuing that practice, even in trying times, will be a top priority.Key Issue 2 Student Success: Our students are our reason to exist. Our motto is: ""To improve people's lives through learning."" But once people enroll at ECC, we have only improved their lives if they have succeeded in the courses they have taken. It is our responsibility to help them succeed in every way that we can.Key Issue 3 Strategic Planning: We can credit the original Board of Trustes with developing the first Master Plan. It was visionary. We have used that plan, revised that plan, adapted that plan, and incorporated the unresolved segments of their plan as we hammered out each new Master Plan. Examples: The Events Center (Field House) which was not completed until 2005, the Visual and Performing Arts Center, completed in 1993. and the Road to Randall, completed in 2009, were each a part of the original 1970 Master Plan. We are now working on the Master Plan approved by the voters in 2008, but we are also focusing on the needs of the District for the next 20 years.Questions Answers What prompted you to run for ECC board? If you're a newcomer, how will you make a difference? If you're an incumbent, how have you made a difference?When I first ran for the board, I wanted to help the Board meet the needs of the students we serve. I believe I have done that. Again, our students are our reason for existence. I believe I have helped to make a difference in their lives, and I would like to continue to do so.With fewer than a third of students in some feeder districts deemed college ready, what can ECC do to better prepare students for college-level coursework?We are already doing it; in fact our Alliance for College Readiness Program has gained widespread recognition and imitation, not only state-wide, but nationally as well. Our Partnership with our twelve underlying K-12 districts is the model that other community colleges are trying to replicate.Tuition has remained steady for the past four years. With demand growing for community colleges, do you foresee having to raise tuition in the near future, or do you think it is important to keep tuition low in light of continuing economic struggles?It is part of our mission to keep tuition low, and we have done so, not just in the past four years but throughout ECC's existence. At our January board meeting, we raised tuition by $8.00. In doing so, we kept our promise to the voters. We said that as the new buildings came on line we would raise tuition to meet costs necessary to maintain those buildings. The Multi-Purpose Classroom Building is now fully in operation, and we plan to have The Health and Life Sciences Building and The Library Student Resources Building fully operational within the next twelve months.Did you agree with the need for $178 million in bonds to finance the expansion of the college? Why or why not? How will you ensure the voter-approved bond proceeds are spent responsibly and that the projects in ECC's master plan do not go over budget?I was a member of the Board that brought the $178 million bond referendum to the voters of the district. We analyzed and predicted the huge increase in the number of our students, and our voters responded postively. Immediately after the bond referendum passed, the Board requested and has received monthly monitoring reports for each project. These monitoring reports show in detail how much money has been alloted to each project, how much has been spent in each area of each project, and how much is left to finish each area of each project. Every project in the $178 million undertaken thus far is well under budget and months ahead of schedule.Community colleges provide many services to a diverse population. Is there a service your college should be providing that it is not, or reaching a segment of the population that it is not?We continuously monitor the needs of our transfer students and find that their needs remain fairly constant. On the other hand, the needs of our business and industry constituents are constantly changing. We meet those needs by working with each constituent, developing the programs or courses needed, and offering them on site or on the college campus. In addition, ECC is one of only 100 colleges in the nation involved in our Achieving the Dream Initiative. This inititive is concerned with student groups who have faced the greatest barriers to college success, including students of color, low income students, returning adult students, and first-generation college students. The goal of the program is to close the achievement gaps and to improve the successful completion rates for each of these targeted groups.